Charles b



(No Model.)

C. E. LONGDBN.

EXERCISING BAG.

Patented May 26 N PETERS. Pnuwuuwgnpw, wmangmn. D. c;

ltharrnn STaTns TATTNT Ormea.

CHARLES E. LONGDEN, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SEAMLESSRUBBER COMPANY, OE SAME PLACE. V

EXERClSlNG-BAG.

SPECFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NQ 318,766, dated May 26,1885.

Application iilcd January 26, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLns E. LONGDEN, of New Haven, in the county ofNew Haven and State of Connecticut,l1ave invented a new Improvement inExercising-Bags, and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with accompanying drawings and the letters of referencemarked thereon,to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,

IO and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure l, the bag suspended as in use; Eig. 2, a vertical centralsection of the inflated bag enlarged; Fig. 3, a partial verticalsection,

I one end ofthe bag enlarged to more clearly illustrate the invention.

This invention relates to an improvement in the class of exercisingapparatus commonly known as sand-bags,-that is to say, bags 70 which aresuspended, and so that the person exercising may strike the bag with thests, foroing'it from its normal position,to again return to be met bythe fists.

An important improvement in this class of 2 exercising apparatusconsists in the substituA tion of an inflated india-rubber bag for thesand-bag, the inflated bag being hung to the ceiling, and with anelastic connection from its lower end to the floor. This improved bag,

owing to the elastic connection with the floor, makes a quicker return,and also presents a better surface to the fists of the personexercising.

The bag has usually been constructed with a loop in its upper and lowerends, one of which is suspended from the ceiling and the other connectedto the floor. These loops have been attached directly to the ends of thebag, and made substantially an integral part of the bag. Suchconnections, in the use of the bag, bringa very great strain upon theends, making it diiiicult to so secure the loops to the ends withsutcient strength to stand the strain; but however strong they may beattached they frequently break away and destroy the bag for further use.

The object of my invention is to make the connection between the ceilingand floor independent ofthe bag, and so that the bag will 5o be heldupon the supporting device without strain upon it, and it consists inconstructing the bag with a tube extending through it, open at bothends, and of somewhat greater diameter than the diameter of thesuspending cord` or device, and through which the said cord or devicepasses, the said cord or device held by a suitable device from directcontact with the bag, as more fully hereinafter described.

A represents the bag inflated. This is usually made fromindia-rubber,and is of cylindrical shape, the ends of the cylinderclosed.

Through the cylinder from end to end, and should be in its longitudinalcenter, I arrange a tube, B, open at both ends,through the heads of thebag, the tube being united to the respective heads, so as to prevent theescape of air through or around the tube. The tube should be of flexiblematerial, like the bag itself. The diameter of this tube is somewhatgreater than the diameter of the cord by which it is suspended. At eachend of the tube I introduce a sleeve, c, which substantially lits therespective ends of the tube, the opening through the sleevecorresponding substantially to the cord by which the bag is to besuspended. These sleeves are preferably made removable from the ends ofthe tube, but may be fixed therein.

C is a cord which is passed through the sleeves and through the tube,and preferably so in the cord a knot, b, is made at each end of the bag,so that the knot will take a bearing on the sleeve. This cord isextended to the ceiling, or another cord attached thereto, as indicatedin Fig. 1, and from the lower end the usual elastic connection, D, ismade with the floor.

The sleeves c are best made with a head on their outer end, as seen inEig. 3, so as to rest or bear against the heads of the bag.

The sleeves may be made from india-rubber, or from any suitablematerial, but should be such as to firmly hold the bag in its relationto the suspending device, and so as to prevent contact between the backand suspending-device. Should the sleeves wear under use,they may bereadily replaced without affecting the bag; but if made of rubber thewear or strain upon the sleeveis not great,so that,if preferred, thesleeves may be made apermanent part of roo the bag; but I prefer to makethem detachable, rst, as being more convenient for the introduction ofthe suspending device through the tube, and, second, that they may bereplaced should occasion require. By this construction the action of thesuspending device dur ing the exercise is brought entirely upon thesleeves. The connection is made between the ceiling and the floorindependent of the bagthat is to say, is made directly through the bagWithout connection therewith, the knots, or Whatever it may be, in thesuspending device serving only to properly locate the bag on thesuspending` device; hence there is .no strain upon the bag during theexercise, except that produced by thc hands of the person exercising.The bag is therefore much more durable than the previous construction,to which I have referred.

The length ofthe sleeves, or what may properly be called re-enforce,77is imrnaterial,aud they may extend as far into the tube as desired, evento its entire length.

I claiml. The herein-described improvementin eX- ercising-bags,consisting of abag adapted to be inflated, constructed with a tubelongitudinally through it, open at both ends, and through which thesuspending device may pass, substantially as described.

2. An exercising-bag adapted to be inflated, constructed with a tubelongitudinally through it, of larger diameter than the suspendingcord,combined with a sleeve at each end of the tube, the opening throughwhich corresponds substantially to the diameter of the suspendingcord,substantially as described.

3. An exercising-bag adapted to be intl-ated, constructed with atubelongitudinally through it, open at both ends, the said tube of largerdiameter than the suspending-cord, a removable sleeveintroduced into theends of the tube, the opening through the sleeve correspondingsubstantially to the suspending cord, the sleeves constructed with ahead to rest against the end of the bag, substantially as described.

CHARLES E. LON GDEN Witnesses:

Jos. C. EARLE, J. H. SHUMWAY.

